At least six men incarcerated in the Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet have died after contracting COVID-19. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, 123 people incarcerated at Stateville have tested positive for the virus along with 65 staff members.

On Today's 21st: Advocates have been warning about the risks of Coronavirus disease spreading in state prisons, now dozens of inmates and staff are sick at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet. We heard from two men inside. 

As of Sunday, at least eight incarcerated men at Stateville Correctional Center have tested positive for the virus, along with multiple staff members at the prison. A staff member at the Sheridan Correctional Center also tested positive for COVID-19, and so did multiple individuals housed at the North Lawndale Adult Transition Center in Chicago.

Gray isn’t the only person incarcerated in Illinois prisons that isn’t able to further their education. A lack of teachers, funding and the department’s own policies prevent many from obtaining their GED, associates degree or a trade skill. 

An Illinois Department of Corrections policy stipulates that once a class is full, inmates are placed on the waiting list in order of their release date, with those getting out soonest receiving priority.

Senator Dick Durbin said a few months ago that he doesn’t support the Green New Deal. Has he changed his mind? And how do the rest of Illinois Democrats feel about it? And, as one homeless shelter in Southern Illinois closes, we talk about the challenges facing shelters across Illinois. Plus, it’s college graduation season and seven men from Stateville Correctional Center just received their degrees at a ceremony that included a performance from Chance the Rapper.